After Pyle failed on a few takedowns early in the fight, Mein remained patient and looked for his opening. It came soon after.

With Pyle on the perimeter of the cage, Mein unleashed a vicious left hand that flatted his opponent. A few followup punches sealed the deal and forced the referee to wave off the fight after just 72 seconds.

“I feel great, and I wanted a knockout because I want to stay in these co-main-event and main-event slots,” Mein said. “This is where I belong.”

Mein said he knew the punch was going to set up the stoppage as soon as it landed.

“It felt so clean right right on his chin,” he said. “I was trying to aim for his throat, nice and low. And then when I saw him fall, I could really see how hurt he was and how close the ref was and how close it was to being over. So I didn’t stop.”

Mein, a former Strikeforce fighter whose only UFC loss came to Matt Brown, is now 4-1 in his past five fights. Pyle, meanwhile, has dropped two of three.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.